Ivory Roses and GoodByes
by Resident-Of-Melancholy-Hill
Summary: Drew and May are younger, and they have just met. Over the course of a month, their friendship grows, but on the final day, Drew must tell her that he's moving. To a little girl, a single good-bye present can mean the world. R
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: I own nothing that has any relation to the Pokemon anime and games.

This story was inspired by a heart wrenching story that I read. That story literally made me cry, and the part that effected me the most was the fact that the entire thing was real. The emotions in the story were the actual ones that the writer was experiencing. Stay strong Jedi Healer, stay strong.

* * *

A group of people stood watching as the coffin was lowered into the ground. It had traveled quickly through out the family. From father to son, to brother, to sister, and finally to Norman Maple.

The news of Dahlia Maple's death did not come as a major shock, but the fact that the eldest of the Maples was gone was still sad.

That's where the family is now, at the funeral. A sea of black, the symbol of people mourning. But in that sea of darkness, there are two small beacons of light.

One is May Maple, who wears a light pink dress. She is but six years old. Her mother had tried to make her wear the black dress that had been bought for the funeral, but May wouldn't hear it. Screaming and throwing a fit, she had refused to leave the house unless she was wearing her pink dress. Eventually, her mother had consented. What harm could it do, her mother thought.

The other beacon, a young boy who had just turned seven, was wearing light purple cotton shirt that was neatly tucked into his black dress pants. That boy was Drew Hayden.

The Maple and Hayden families had been friends for a long time and now both of them were assembled in the city cemetery.

Dahlia Maple had an influence not only on her family, but on the entire city. The citizens of the city knew her for her good advice on all kinds of matters. Marriage, financial, family, etc. She had been through it all. Although the children of the city knew her better for her amazing chocolate chip cookies.

She had been 98 when she died. The minister had started the Eulogy and now members of both families were reading the speeches, poems, and stuff that had been prepared.

The small girl broke away from her mothers hand and weaved her way in between numerous pairs of adult legs. She swerved around the legs of a heavy set man and ran into the little boy who was standing there. She hadn't seen him around the mans leg.

"Oomph! Oops sorry!" May said as she stepped backwards.

"Shh!" The heavy set man scolded them. "This is a funeral. You need to be quiet."

May stuck her tongue out at him, and Drew laughed silently behind his hand.

"Hi. I'm Drew." Drew held out his hand. May shook it vigorously.

"I'm May. It's nice to meet ya!" The man scolded her again.

"You know, you're kind of loud." Drew whispered. May smiled.

"My mom tells me that all the time. Come on let's go over there." She pointed towards the woods at the back of the cemetery. The two of them joined hands and wove their way back through the adults' legs. Running to a small stone bench by the forest line, they sat down.

"Sorry about your great-grandma." Drew said. May, who still didn't really understand death due to her being six years old, just smiled.

"It's okay! My mommy says that one day I'll be able to see her again. And then she can make me more cookies. Those were my favorite things in the whole wide world!" She said as she remembered the smell and taste of the delicious cookies.

The Hayden and Maple families had been friends, but due to Drew living in LaRousse, he and May had never met before.

"I bet they were good." Drew stared at the funeral procession. The diggers had just started to bury the coffin. A drop of water fell onto his hand. The two of them both looked at the sky.

"Rain?" They asked at the same time. This caused them to giggle.

"I love rain!" Drew said. May nodded, "Me too!" They both laughed again. Drew then turned his gaze towards May.

"We're going to be really good friends aren't we, May?" he asked.

"Yeah! I think we already are!" She said. The rain was falling steadily now, and the funeral processions were over. May heard her mother calling her name. Drew's mother was also calling him.

"There's my mom! My family's going to a fancy dinner thingy in honor of my grandma. Are you going?" She stared at him with large inquisitive eyes. Drew nodded.

"Yup! That means we can play then too!" May's mother had started walking towards them, where as Drew's had gotten involved in a conversation with someone.

"Well I got to go! See you later!" May hopped off the bench and ran towards her mother.

"Bye!" Drew called after her. He watched as May reached her mother.

May instantly started telling her mother about her new found friend. May's mother just smiled. But it was a weak smile. Drew's mother had just informed her that Mr. Hayden was needed back in LaRousse, and their time in Petalburg would be short lived. The Hayden family was moving at the end of the month, and May had just made friends with Drew. Not good, she thought.

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Okay! Here's the first chapter. I don't know how long this is going to be and this first chapter was just to set the mood. Yeah the stories when May and Drew are younger and I meant for it to just happen as if they are not going to meet again when they're older, but they are. Maybe I'll write a one-shot on it or something…I don't know. Reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

alright here is chapter 2! enjoy!

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The rose that Drew's mother had saved from the funeral now lay upon Drew's bedside table. She had placed it there while he was still asleep. The ivory rose, so fragile an delicate, would become dry and even more fragile. Drew wouldn't notice it there, his mother thought as she gently laid it down.

That is where his mother was wrong. The next morning, Drew opened his eyes and was immediately transfixed by the flower's beautiful ivory petals. The flower had wilted overnight, but it was still beautiful, as it would always be.

"I'm going to have to give this to May!" He said as he picked it up off the bedside table. Drew's mother was suddenly standing in the doorway of his large room.

"Let it dry out first, Drew. That way you can give it to her when it's back to looking really pretty again. Right now it is all wilted and you don't want to give it to her when it's not the prettiest it can be do you?" His mother was hoping that by allowing the flower to dry, the time that passed would make Drew forget about it.

"Nuh-uh!" Drew shook his head and gently placed it back on the table.

"How long will it take to dry?" Drew's eyes grew large as he looked at his mother with inquisitive eyes.

"Oh about a month I think." She lied. It would be dry by the end of the week, but saying a month would ensure that he forgot about it. They were moving at the end of the month after all.

"Humph. That's a long time from now." Drew made a sad face, and his mother had an idea.

"Drew, let's go to the park. Just you and me. I'll push you on the swing set if you want." She offered. But, as she had feared might happen, Drew shook his head.

"I want to see May, mommy. Me and her are friends!" Drew said, his mood instantly brightening at the thought of seeing May. Drew's mother tried several times to discard the thought of a play date with May, but finally she conceited defeat.

"Take a bath and get dressed for the day. Then come downstairs and eat breakfast. After that you can call May and invite her over." Drew's face broke out into a huge smile. He hopped out of bed and raced towards his bathroom. With in a few minutes the sound of running water could be heard as he ran the water into the bath tub.

"For once he's actually willing to take a bath," his mother muttered under her breath as she headed downstairs to finish making his breakfast.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Maple house, May was skipping around her kitchen with her Torchic plush toy held tightly in her arms. Her mother had almost finished breakfast, and she was hungry.

"May stop it! Go sit down at the table and wait for me to finish cooking. Go on now!" Caroline said. Her daughter had almost caused her to drop a pan of scrambled eggs on the floor.

"Yes ma'am!" May happily skipped to the dining room table and sat down. Her little brother, Max, was already eating his cereal, and her father was already drinking his morning coffee and reading the newspaper.

"Huh! Get this Caroline. Professor Birch just discovered something new again!" Norman said. The exact words of the headline were "Professor Birch: Another Evolution on the study of Pokemon Evolution Patterns".

"Leave it to Jim to come up with a cheesy headline like that." Caroline said as she shook her head. Jim Jones was the Petalburg City journalist and his articles showed up in every Sunday paper.

Caroline finally finished making May's breakfast and walked over to the dining room. After four years of being a waitress at a restaurant, she was able to perfectly balance three plates on one arm and still carry two glasses of orange juice in the other.

One of the glasses she set down in front of May, and the other she placed at an empty table setting where she would eventually be eating.

The plates that Caroline place in front of May were covered in bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

"M-m-m! Thanks mommy!" May said as she started shoveling pancakes into her mouth. Her mother smiled and went back to the kitchen to grab her own plate. As she entered the kitchen, the telephone rang. Caroline glanced at the stove clock and her brow furrowed.

"Who would be calling at 9:30? No one in our family wakes up before 10:00." She said as she took the phone from its receiver.

"Hello?…Yes she's here…Want me to tell her who it is?…Fine, fine. I'll go get her." Caroline peered into the dining room where May was still shoveling food into her face.

"May honey, it's for you. Finish chewing and swallow, and then come get this." May rarely got phone calls unless it was from a distant relative wishing her a happy holiday or something, so she eagerly got up to take the phone.

"Hi!" She yelled into the speaker.

"Not so loud May! Don't make the other person go deaf, dear." Her mother said as she walked back into the kitchen.

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"Hiya May! It's Drew!"

May squealed with delight.

After the fancy dinner party, May hadn't had a chance to say good-bye to Drew, so his phone call was a nice surprise. The two of them chatted for a little while before Drew told May to put her mother on the phone. May thrust the phone into her mother's hands.

"Hello?" She was a little confused as to why she was suddenly talking to Drew. She soon realized that it was not Drew himself, but his mother. They talked to each other for a few minutes before Caroline hung up the phone. May had eagerly been listening to what her mother was saying, and although she had a pretty good idea of what was happening, she was still anxious.

"What'd Mrs. Hayden want mama?" Her large eyes were staring up at her mother, and Caroline couldn't help but smile.

"Drew has invited you over for a play date. Go get changed out of your pajamas and we'll leave in half an hour." May instantly forgot about her food and ran upstairs to get ready.

And you know something is important when it causes May Maple to forget about her food.

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There is chapter 2 for ya! Sorry if it took a little longer than I expected it to! Review of what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3!…..that's all I've got to say I guess…yeah it's kind of lame but who cares. Well I guess I should mention this chapter is a little longer than the others but it's mostly a filler. 'cept for one little detail but I'll let you guess on it.

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* * *

"Ding-dong!" May and Caroline Maple stood at the door of the Hayden house. With one hand May was holding onto her mother, where as the other held her Torchic doll. She thought that Drew would find it cool.

They Hayden house was quite large compared to that of the Maple's, even though Norman was a gym leader. The house was blue and had green shutters that outlined every window, and the roof looked like it had just been re-done. It really was a beautiful house. The yard around the house was beautiful as well. A fresh green lawn covered the property, and tall, healthy trees stood all over the yard. The house looked quite natural and in sync with the forest that rose up from behind it.

After a few seconds, the sound of someone walking towards the door could be heard. The door was unlocked and then someone from inside swung it open. It was Drew's mother.

"Ah hello there! We've been expecting you. Before anything happens, I feel introductions are necessary!" The woman introduced herself as Maria Hayden, and May and Caroline introduced themselves to her. After introductions, she turned around and yelled up the stairs that sat near the front door.

"Drew! May is here!" Caroline was quickly glancing at her watch. The phrase "we've been expecting you" made her uneasy and she was worried that her and May had arrived later than she realized. Drew's mother caught this and she chuckled.

"Don't worry! You are actually right on time! It's just that Drew has been so excited to see May, and to think! They just saw each other two days ago!" Mrs. Hayden said. Caroline looked down in embarrassment due to being caught glancing at the watch. She started to say something when a loud "thud" noise came from inside the house.

Drew's mother turned around to face the stairwell and May peered through the door way. What she saw was Drew sitting at the bottom of the steps, rubbing his forehead.

"What did I tell you about coming down the stairs to quickly Drew?" His mother scolded.

"Sorry mama. I'll try and slow down from now on." He said as he stood up and walked over to the door.

"Hi May!"

"Hey Drew!"

"Nice Torchic doll!…I want to show you a place down by the creek behind my house. I think your going to like it." Drew said eagerly.

May smiled, "I really like Torchic!" She turned towards her mother. "Is it okay if I go to the creek with Drew mama?" Caroline looked down at her daughter and smiled. May's eyes held the most pleading look she had ever seen. How could she say no to that?

"Go ahead and have fun. Just be careful you two." May and Drew took off running. Their mothers watched as they ran down the front walkway and then turned to go down the path leading to the backyard.

"Would you like to come inside and have some coffee?" Drew's mother asked. Caroline considered still going shopping like she had originally planned to, but she had not had a chance to eat any breakfast. Coffee sounded pretty good to her, so she accepted.

Caroline followed Drew's mother inside the house. The two of them passed through several different rooms, and each one left Caroline more impressed than the last. The rooms were beautifully designed, with furniture that obviously didn't come from Petalburg.

There was one armoire in the dining room that simply took Caroline's breath away. It was made of a beautiful mahogany wood, whose deep red color blended in so well with the dark shadows of the room, that at first glance, you may not even realize it was there. Once someone became aware of its presence, their eyes, no matter how hard they tried to avoid it, seemed to be drawn to it.

The intricately designed wood was covered in carved flowers. The flowers seemed so real, and the only things that revealed how lifeless they really were their uniform color and their two dimensional quality. As if the flower designs were not enough to make the armoire magnificent, the two doors also held a special quality. The armoire had two separate doors that each had a mirror fastened to the outside of them. Each mirror was unscratched and had a lustrous shine to it that left Caroline transfixed.

Drew's mother had been expecting this, and was ready for when Caroline stopped in their progression towards the kitchen and ventured into the dining room. She leaned against the room's entranceway and was ready with her prepared history on the armoire.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Caroline only nodded in response.

"It was my great-grandmother's from England. She always claimed that it was a gift from the royal family when they no longer needed it, and when she came to live in LaRousse she just couldn't bear to part with it. It has been passed down from generation to generation." Drew's mother paused for a moment, watching as Caroline moved her fingers over the carved flowers. She then continued with her story.

"My mother and grandmother both said that they could never find the right place for it. Its presence dominated any room, and I was afraid that the same thing would happen when I inherited it. Back in LaRousse, it did happen. I tried to make that thing fit correctly in so many different rooms, and it just never fit. Eventually, I gave up and considered selling it. That's when Erik, my husband, announced that we were moving. Some of our family already lived here and they told us about this house. It was for sale and they sent us a lot of pictures. When I saw the picture of the dining room, I just knew that this house was perfect for us. The armoire actually fits perfectly in here, don't you think?"

Caroline, as she was examining the armoire, had been listening intently to Maria's story. The piece of furniture was quite impressive, and Maria was correct, it did fit perfectly. Caroline walked back over to where Maria was standing.

"It is quite beautiful." she said quietly.

"To the kitchen?" Maria asked, and the two of them continued towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Come look at these May!" Drew called from where he was crouched by the creek.

The two of them had continued through the backyard and down a little hill to the creek. It was a shallow creek, only about a foot deep, and the bottom of it was easily visible. The water was also quite clear, which allowed the many types of bugs and minnows to be seen. The woods behind the creek were peaceful, and an occasional chirp from a bird could be heard. Well, it had been peaceful before the two children had come running and yelling towards it. The intensity of volume had since then decreased, and the two of them had taken to calmly observing the nature that surrounded them.

May had been examining a bird's nest when Drew called her. She had been mesmerized by the baby blue robin's eggs and had wanted to show Drew. But he had something he wanted to show her first the eggs would have to wait.

"What is it?" She said as she walked up behind him. He pointed to a little cove of water that was separated from the rest of the creek by a narrow stream. May lie down on her stomach and peered into the water. Drew lay down too.

"Tadpoles!" She said. Her delight was revealed through her tone of voice. The two of them watched as the tiny little creatures darted back and forth around the pool. They were so tiny, and seemed so vulnerable.

"I don't think I'd want to be a tadpole." Drew said as he focused on one particular tadpole that seemed a little bigger than the others.

"Hmm. Me neither…Wait. Why don't you wanna be one?" May looked up from the pool and over at Drew. He continued watching the tadpole. He was silent for a few moments, and when he answered it was almost as if he had spent more than just a few moments thinking about it.

"Well, I don't think I'd really like to grow up. Tadpoles grow up, just like people do. I think that if I grew up, then fun times wouldn't happen anymore. My mom tells me about all the fun times she had when she was a kid, and she just seems so different now. Like she never has time for any fun. I like fun." He paused again.

"Why don't you wanna be one?" He returned her gaze.

"I don't want to be one cuz a lot of things could eat me!" May's eyes widened as she said this, causing Drew to laugh. He looked back into the water and a mischievous grin suddenly appeared on his face. He dipped his hand into the water and swirled it in a circle to make sure all the tadpoles had swum somewhere else to safety. Once he saw that they were all safe, he quickly flicked his hand in May's direction. The water splashed onto May's face and she sat up spluttering. She stuck her tongue out and made a strange noise.

"Bleck! You got it in my mouth!" she said as she scrapped her tongue with her fingers.

"Sorry!" Drew giggled. May then proceeded to splash Drew back.

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" He went to splash her again, but May stopped him.

"Wait a second! We're even now. If you splashed me again then I'd have to splash you back. That's the way things work." Drew looked confused for a second, and then nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense I guess. I never thought about it like that." Drew stood up and looked towards the house. He had just remembered that his favorite television show was on soon.

"Hey May! Do you like the show 'Battling Trainers'?" he asked. May's eyes widened.

"Yes! Oh my gosh yes! My mama and I watch it all the time!" Just mentioning the show made her excited.

"Well it's on soon if you want to go watch it." He tried to act nonchalant and not to eager.

"Yeah! Let's go!" She nodded vigorously. Drew smiled, happy that she liked the show, and helped May to her feet.

"Race ya!" May said as she took off running.

"No fair! You got a head start." Drew took off after her.

* * *

Phew! There's chapter 3! Like I said before, most of these are filler chapters with a few little things that will be included later on. Okay! So leave a review as to what you thought! Any other ideas for some get togethers between the two of them?


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4! School is finally over so I'm going to be doing a heck of a lot more updating!

but a warning beforehand. I drank a lot Pepsi before writing this! i went boating yesterday with one of my friends and I'm REALLY tired. if anything is spelled wrong or things seem a little off just tell me and I'll fix them at a later date when I'm not hyped up on soda.

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A single week passed and with its passing came the end of fall. The leaves which had been so brilliantly colored in different hues of brown, yellow, and red began to drop from the trees. The people of Petalburg began to prepare for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season.

And with the changing of the seasons, came the unhappy whining of a certain boy who couldn't see his best friend due to being sick.

"Mama! I wanna see May! It's been a week and my cold's almost completely better." Drew was sitting in bed, while his mother was setting an empty bowl of chicken noodle soup down on his bedside table.

"I know, I know. You've wanted to be able to see May all week, but you wouldn't want to get her sick now would you?"

Drew's mother felt terrible. She was purposefully trying to keep Drew from seeing May. The less time they spent together, the easier it would be on Drew when they had to move. Maria saw how unhappy it was making her son, but she couldn't help it.

Drew's face fell. "Well yeah. I don't want to get her sick, but I don't want to be stuck in my room for much longer either!" Maria smiled sympathetically.

"I think you're well enough to come grocery shopping with me. I haven't had a chance to get out of the house since you've been sick." Drew groaned. When he said he didn't want to be stuck in his room for much longer, he absolutely did _not _mean that he wanted to go grocery shopping with his mother.

"It's that or you starve to death." Maria said. With a sour look on his face, Drew struggled out of bed and headed towards the bathroom.

Stepping onto the small stool that sat in front of the sink, he picked up his tooth brush and tooth paste. After brushing his teeth, he wandered back into his bedroom.

"Okay mom. I'm ready to go." Maria looked at her son and raised her eyebrows.

"You don't want to change out of your pajamas?" She asked quizzically. Drew looked down at his clothing.

"Nope. Let's go." He left the room. What was that about, Maria thought. She looked around Drew's room. Locating his jacket, she slung it over her arm and followed her son downstairs.

As she walked into the kitchen, she heard a sound as if something had just hit the floor. Peering around the counter corner, she found her son staring with wide-eyes at the phone on the floor. The back of it had come of and there were batteries all over the floor. Maria out her hands on her hips.

"Drew, what were you doing with the phone?" Drew looked up at his mother guiltily. His mother sighed. He didn't even have to answer.

"You can see May when you're cold is gone! But until then please just leave well enough alone." Maria scolded.

"Now put your coat on. We're leaving."

* * *

Half an hour later, Maria and Drew arrived at the Munchlax Market. Drew had sat silently through the entire car ride, and Maria was relieved to see him more energetic once they arrived.

He lept out of the car and he seemed quite eager all of a sudden.

"Hang on a moment Drew. I just need to grab my purse." Maria said as she watched her son run around to her side of the car.

"He sure is energetic for this being a shopping trip." She mumbled to herself as she grabbed her purse and shut the car door. Drew charged ahead, and Maria sighed. His pajamas were going to attract a lot of attention.

The two of them crossed the busy parking lot and headed into the store. Grabbing a shopping cart, Maria buckled her purse into the child's seat. Drew gave her a quizzical look.

"To make sure it doesn't get stolen." She explained. Drew nodded, and the two of them set off into the store. Looking down a long list of food items, Maria decided to head towards the fruits and vegetables first.

The Munchlax Market was quite a large store filled with almost every type of food imaginable. Everyone in Petalburg came to the store, so if you were new there it was a great way to meet people. And to see some old friends

Drew walked calmly next to his mother. His initial excitement that had been present when they had first gotten out of the car was gone. Maria was quite confused. Ever since they had left for the store he had been switching moods left and right.

"Drew stop for a second will you." Drew stopped and smiled up at his mother. She reached down and felt his forehead. It was normal.

"Weird." She muttered.

"Let's keep going mom!" Drew said, suddenly eager again. Maria shook her head, and the two of them kept shopping.

* * *

When they had pretty much finished the list, they headed for the check out. Drew's mood had fallen again, and he was now walking silently next to the cart. As they made their way around a shelf corner, Drew's face lit up. Maria's brow furrowed. What was with her son today? He took off down the aisle.

"Drew! What are you-?" She stopped short as she saw where he was running to. May and Caroline were standing at the end of the aisle.

"Now how did you manage that?" She took off after her son. When she reached the group, May and Drew were laughing and talking about their love of animal crackers.

"I like eating their heads first! It makes me feel so powerful!" Drew was saying. May giggled at this. As the two of them were talking, their mothers were having their own discussion.

"I came in from gardening and May started asking me if we could go shopping. I told her that there was no need to, but she insisted. All she wanted was a box of granola bars. She mentioned just this morning that she wanted to see Drew again. I kept telling her that he was sick, but she just kept pressing. I never realized how demanding children could be." Caroline said. Taking into account what Caroline had just said, something in Maria's head clicked.

"So he did make the call! That's why he seemed so guilty." Caroline gave her a questioning look, so Maria explained further.

"I walked into the kitchen and Drew dropped the house phone on the floor. I assumed that he was going to call May, but then he seemed really guilty about something. I guess he really did call her and told her to meet him at the grocery store. I guess kids can be both demanding and sneaky sometimes." The two mothers looked at their children.

Both May and Drew had their faces pressed tightly against the glass of a freezer door.

"Hmm. Pizza!" May said. Caroline laughed. Then, Maria remembered something.

"Oh no! Drew's sick! I don't want him to get May sick too." She said concerned.

"Oh I'm sure May will be-"

"Ah-ah-achoo!" May wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

"Bless you!" Drew said. The two mothers looked at each other.

"Maybe she won't be fine..."

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Ta-dah! there you have chapter 4! reviews are much appreciated!

Oh btw everyone! my friend suggested I tell you about my story on fictionpress! so yeah i started writing my own story! It's called "The Avengers" and my pen name on there is The 5th Avenger. just letting ya know!


	5. Chapter 5

read, read, read. write, write, write. eat, eat, eat. sleep, sleep, sleep. = my life as of June 12, 2010

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There are many symbols in the world. A white dove, symbolizing peace. An eagle, symbolizing freedom. A heart, symbolizing love. The discovery of a few gray hairs, symbolizing a persons passing of age.

But is there a symbol for everything? And if there is, are all of those symbols necessary? Why must humans use signs to see things? Should we not be able to find revelation from the things themselves, and not the symbols that are meant to represent them?

The words "i love you" instead of a "greater than sign" and a "3" attached to it. Sure it is for abbreviation, but you start to wonder if it holds meaning. The over usage of symbols may suggest the faltering of the human mind. The lack of our will to say "Peace be with you" is shocking. Instead, we hold up our index and middle fingers in a "V" shape.

Although seemingly unnecessary, the existence of symbols is also an incredible gift to the human race. In order to write, we must use symbols, the alphabet, in order to express what we feel. The Egyptian Hieroglyphics have allowed scientists to learn of the lives of our ancestors. For people who are deaf and can not hear, the miracle of sign language allows them to communicate.

Signs and symbols also become necessary when there is no physical way of speaking. For a little boy and girl, the words "You are my friend. Good-bye, my friend" do not exist. A child's mind blocks out the things that it does not like. What a child does not wish to hear, simply doesn't exist. It may prove better this way. If children were exposed to all the desires and those desires' refusals, they would grow up with no happiness.

That is why, between two children, a symbol of friendship is needed. A symbol that would also come to symbolize their entire friendship, from the first hello, to the last good-bye.

* * *

The ivory rose that sat on Drew's bedside table was completely dried out. His mother had been wrong about something. A week came and went, and the rose was still partially alive. In the end it took two weeks for the rose to dry out. All the while, Drew waited patiently for it to dry.

"Hurry up and dry out little rose, because as soon as you do I'm giving you to my best friend May." He would say every morning as he woke up. He believed what his mother told him. He was sure that the flower would be dry at the end of the month and ready to be presented to May.

May was also planning on giving Drew a gift. Not because he was moving, she had yet to find that out, but because the end of the month was their first monthly friendship anniversary. She sat in her room, pondering what to give him. She had looked through her rock collection, but hadn't found a rock that seemed special enough. Glancing over at her bed, an idea struck her.

"Torchic!" She said with glee as she rose from the floor and approached her bed. Picking the small doll off of the pillow, she held it in her arms.

"You're what I'll give him." May said smiling down on the small plush toy. The last week, which she had spent in her room due to sickness, had been torture for her. It hadn't been any better for Drew, who still wanted to see May. The twenty minutes they had talked to each other at the Munchlax Market wasn't enough for him.

As the end of the month approached, Drew's home began to grow emptier. His parents started packing everything away in boxes, and Drew had fewer and fewer things to do. Which is another reason why he wanted to see May.

Finally, a week before the Hayden family moved back to LaRousse, Drew couldn't stand being away from May anymore. He got up off of the couch in the living room and stormed into the kitchen where his mother was cooking dinner.

"Mom! I want to see May." He stared up at her, his brow furrowed and his hands balled tightly into fists. Maria was surprised at first. Her son was not one to have such outbursts of temper.

"Drew, what makes you bring this up all of a sudden?" Maria knew what his answer would be, she just didn't want to see her son crushed by having to leave behind his friend.

"What makes me bring this up? Mom I've wanted to see her for ever. Why won't you let me?" He hung his head. Maria sighed. She couldn't keep doing this to him. She bent down and pushed some of Drew's hair out of his face. Her hand came to rest on his cheek. He looked at her, and his eyes were full of angry tears.

"Drew, we're moving at the end of the month, you know that. The less time you spend with May, the easier it will be when we have to move. Trust me." She was desperately trying to reason with him.

"I don't care. I'm going to see her." He pushed Maria's hand away. The next thing Maria knew, the front door was wide open, and her son was gone. What could possibly have caused her son to act like that? He was always so calm and relaxed.

Maria grabbed her jacket and followed her son out of the house.

She ran down the sidewalk, trying to catch up with him. Drew, being seven, wasn't that fast a runner yet, and his mother easily over took him.

When she did catch him, he was crying, and tears fell in steady streams down his face. She pulled him into a hug and her jacket muffled the sound of Drew's crying.

"Mom...mom I don't...I don't want to move." He said in between sobs. Maria held him close.

Maria knew that it had been coming. Drew may have been a very calm and collected child, but that's just it. He was still a child. Any child would react to having to move away from a best friend who they had just met.

"I know honey. I know."

The two of them stayed there for a while. Drew crying, and Maria holding him. When the sobs finally turned into raspy, gasping breaths, Maria stepped back from her son.

"Drew, why don't we go see May now?" Drew only nodded as he wiped his eyes clean with his shirt sleeve. He took Maria's hand and the two of them headed towards the Maple house.


	6. Chapter 6

okay so something i've realized is that all 3 of the longer stories i have written have started off nice and happy, and then taken a depressing and sad turn. first max goes on vacation, then he actually gets kidnapped, and now drew and may were supposed to be cute little kids but it turned into him moving away.

* * *

"You're what?" Drew and Maria had reached the Maple house, and while Maria and Caroline were talking in the kitchen, May and Drew were watching television.

"Uh yeah. I'm leaving in about a week. Gotta move back to LaRousse because of my dad." Each of them were staring straight at the television.

"Tell your dad that you can't move. That would mean that we couldn't be friends anymore." May's brow was furrowed. She was trying to grasp the concept of her best friend moving away. As she was still a child, it was difficult.

"I've already tried that! He doesn't listen to me at all. He says I'm a kid and don't understand that moving is for the best. What I don't get is how moving away from my best friend is best at all." Drew had his face scrunched up into a look of annoyance. He really had tried to tell his father, and his father really hadn't been listening. While Drew was talking to him, he had been on the computer making sure everything was in order for the move.

His father, Erik, had brushed him off with an "uh-huh". Being a businessman, Erik wasn't really a family person. He cared deeply about his wife and son, but he never had time for them. It was them or work, and since Maria didn't work, he had to choose work.

"We'll always be friends though, May." May grabbed one of the pillows off the couch and hugged it tightly to her chest. She looked around at the living room, and imagined Drew's living room, which was probably full of boxes. They were moving in five days after all.

"We could write letters to each other. And have our moms read over them to make sure everything makes sense." May suggested.

Drew nodded, "And we can visit each other every now and then. With our moms permission. I got in trouble last time."

May laughed, remembering the look on their mothers' faces as they realized they had been tricked by their children.

She picked up the television remote and started flipping through the channels.

"I didn't like that show either." Drew said. May just stared at the TV screen. The channels whizzing by seemed to mesmerize her, and it kept her mind off of things.

After a few minutes of her flipping through channel after channel, Drew calmly took the remote from May and turned off the television. She blinked.

"Why don't we do something else? Battling Trainers isn't on until later, and my mom says staring at a TV screen for too long is bad for your eyes." Drew had his head cocked to the side, and he was looking intently at May, who was still staring at the black screen. A piece of Drew's hair fell across his forehead, and he flicked away. The movement seemed to awaken May from her trance, and she was suddenly in the mood to play.

"Hide and go seek," was all she said before leaping off the couch and running out of the room. Drew shrugged and covered his eyes, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.….."

May snuck back into the living room and ducked behind the couch. She crawled on her hands and knees until she was safely out of sight.

"50! Ready or not, here I come." May heard Drew get off the couch, and she listened closely to see where he was headed. The sound of his footsteps disappeared into the kitchen, and May sighed in relief. She immediately realized her mistake, and clapped her hand over her mouth.

She held her breath as Drew walked back into the living room. She scrunched herself into a tiny ball, as if that would keep him from finding her. His footsteps got louder on the wooden floor as he walked over to the couch.

Closer and closer. A yard away. Two feet. A foot...his footsteps stopped.

May strained to listen, but there wasn't a single sound coming from the other side of the couch. She crawled over to the place where she had gotten behind the couch, and peered out.

No one was there. Where had Drew gone?

A hand grabbed her ankle, and May let out a shriek. She spun around to see Drew lying on his stomach, laughing.

"Drew!" May started laughing too. "That's not funny."

"But you're laughing!" Drew had snuck onto the couch and had moved to the opposite end of where May was. He had easily been able to slide behind the couch onto the floor, so that May's back was facing him.

"How'd you do that with out me hearing you? After you got near the couch, you disappeared!" May was skeptical.

"Skills of a ninja. Ki-yah!" Drew stood up and attempted a jump kick. His foot hit the side table that sat next to the couch, and one of Caroline's glass drink coasters clattered to the floor. The edge of it chipped off, and slid under the couch.

"Oops."

"Uh oh. That's not good." May picked up the coaster and placed it back on the table.

"Let's hope my mom didn't-"

"May, what was that?" Caroline's voice came from the kitchen.

"Uh, nothing mom!" May called back.

"What are we going to do about it?" Drew asked.

"We? You broke it! But it's in my house, so I'll fix it with glue and hope my mom doesn't discover it before then." May said.

"Good plan." Drew looked around the room. "So now what?" May didn't have a chance to answer. Instead, his mother did.

Maria walked into the room. "Drew, your father just called. Erik wants us home. The people who are considering buying our house are coming over, and your father wants us to meet them."

Drew's face fell. "But mom, May and I were having a lot of fun."

Maria remembered the days' earlier events, and wondered if her son would try running from the house again.

"I know. I'm sorry but we have to get home." Drew walked over to his mother, defeated. May watched him go with a sad face.

"See ya May." Drew said as he walked by her.

"Yeah, bye." She followed them to the front door. Caroline walked up behind her daughter, and placed her hand on May's shoulder. The two of them watched as Maria and Drew walked down the front walkway, and then down the sidewalk.

All the while, Drew and May were waving to each other.

* * *

review if you want to! i'm hoping to have a couple more chapters before the end, but who knows. maybe i'll decide to end it in the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

aight i was thinking bout making another chapter before i ended it, but i think i'll end it here. hope ya like it. oh yeah i also fail at spelling. my spelling errors kinda look like a new language: "romm aorund psun" - room, around, and spun.

* * *

May lay in her bed, staring intently at the ceiling fan. She was trying to count the number of times it spun around, but she kept losing track and had to start over again.

Ever since Drew and Maria had left, May had been acting strangely. Caroline was worried about her. May had been wandering around their house, aimlessly, for two hours before she went to bed.

May still couldn't fall asleep. She reached over, and pulled Torchic into a hug.

"He's not leaving forever. He'll be back. We'll see him again Torchic." May acted as if she was consoling Torchic, but in reality, she was consoling herself.

_"Yeah. Gotta move back to LaRousse because of my dad." _Drews' words echoed through her thoughts. It was his dad's fault, and May had convinced herself that she hated Erik Hayden. But she knew that hating people was wrong. So she tried to forgive him.

Drew had said that they could write letters, so it wasn't like they'd never hear from each other.

It's not like he's leaving forever, May thought. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to sleep.

"Ah! Why can't I sleep?" She sat up straight in her bed. She knew why she couldn't sleep, she just didn't want to admit it. She hopped out of bed and started pacing around her room. Her pacing became faster and faster, and she was soon running around her room. After a couple rounds, she slumped onto the floor, panting.

"There. I'm tired now so I can go to sleep." She said this, yet didn't make a move to stand up. Images of her and Drew flashed through her mind; the image of a green haired boy introducing himself, the two of them sitting on the bench in the graveyard, the image of them sitting by the creek, the look on their mother's faces in the store, and finally, the sight of him and his mother walking away.

_I'm watching him leave tomorrow, and it'll be forever._ She couldn't control her thought pattern any longer. Thoughts of Drew leaving forever came crashing into her head, and her eyes widened. She pulled her knees up to her chest and placed her chin on top of them.

All of the other kids in Petalburg stayed away from May, for the few times they had tried to play with her, she became furious at them over something. May, although being six years old, was quite scary when she got angry.

May thought of all the other kids and how they had made her mad. Not once, over the course of the entire month, had she become mad at Drew. Nothing about him angered her. He was calm, relaxed, and never said anything to hurt her feelings. And he was leaving.

Forever. The word flashed through May's mind again, and she shook her head, desperately trying to tell herself that it wasn't forever.

But she couldn't get rid of it. Forever, forever, forever. May gave up on keeping the thoughts away. As they filled her mind, she placed her head in her lap, and cried.

* * *

Drew woke with a start, and sat up in his sleeping bag. Since all of the moving boxes had been packed into the moving van, the members of the Hayden family were comfortably sleeping in their sleeping bags. Drew's mother and father had tried to convince him to sleep in the downstairs living room, but he had refused.

He felt that it was necessary to stay in his room on the very last night he lived in Petalburg. Plus, he was watching over the ivory rose.

When Drew and his mother had arrived home for meeting with the people who wanted to buy their house, they had found it empty. The movers had come in and packed everything away. Drew had run past the visitors and up to his room. Throwing the door open, he had found it, like the rest of the house, empty. Empty, except for the ivroy rose. His father had come up behind him, and told him that he had made certain that nothing would happen to the rose.

As Drew looked over at the rose, he felt that he could forgive his father for making them move. Erik had ensured that the rose for May was unharmed, and for that, Drew was grateful. The thought of May changed his mind, however. How could he forgive his father for making them move? It wasn't fair.

Drew did have friends on LaRousse, but he had never had a best friend before May.

He fell back onto his sleeping bag and let thoughts good and bad into his head. He and May had had a lot of fun times, and they still would in the future.

_We can go on a walk in the fields outside the city, and see wild pokemon! May'd think that's a good idea. _He started making plans for when he they visited each other. He sighed in contentment, knowing that they would see each other again.

_And maybe, one day, we'll both become trainers, and we could travel together. That'd be the best._ And with the thought of he and his best friend traveling together, he feel asleep, and dreams of the future filled his head.

* * *

PSYCH! haha that wasn't the end! i had you confused didn't I? well don't worry, there is still another chapter on the way! and i'm planning on their being a sequel! i don't know if i'll go through with it or not, but i'm hoping. reviews are much appreciated as i kind of thrive off of them. people reviewing my story tells me that it's good enough for people to read so, thanx :D

Oh and to people who would yell at me for having Drew OOC: "He was calm, relaxed, and never said anything to hurt her feelings." This is my depiction of a younger Drew. He seems less arrogant and stuff, i know, but the reason for that comes in the sequel. i have a bunch of ideas for getting Drew back into character.


	8. Chapter 8

okay so this is the final chapter. i'm not tricking you this time! i hope you guys liked my story. i really enjoyed writing it, and i'm going ahead with the sequel! but i may do a quick oneshot in between.

I was listening to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day while writing this, and it made me sad. :(

* * *

A car pulled into the Hayden's driveway, and the family stood in the driveway, watching. A little girl with brunette hair stepped out of the back, followed by her mother, father, and little brother Max.

The girl held an orange doll in her hands, and she walked towards the family with her head pointed towards the ground.

"Hi May." Drew stood in between his mother and father.

"Hi." Her voice had a sullen tone to it, and she continued staring at the ground. Caroline and Norman walked up next to her and managed a half smile at Maria and Erik. Neither set of parents could be happy with their children so depressed. Max toddled up next to Norman. Erik, Maria, Caroline, and Norman hovered over their children, waiting to see what would happen next.

"I...um..." Drew didn't know what to say.

Clouds hung in the sky, threatening the first snow of the year. Like snow falling, all was quiet for a few moments between everyone.

"I want you to have Torchic!" May suddenly thrust the small stuffed animal forward, eyes open wide. No one was surprised by her bluntness, for everyone had been expecting it.

Drew's eyes widened as large as hers, "But he means so much to you. I couldn't take him." He fingered the stem of flower that he had behind his back nervously.

"Sure you can. I want you to remember me." Her eyes narrowed a little more, and she smiled. How could I forget _her_, Drew thought. He reached forward with one arm and cautiously took the small stuffed animal. He pulled it back slowly, watching May's face all the while. He was making sure that she didn't change her mind and snap out to grab Torchic back, but she didn't move.

The smile was still plastered on her face as he pulled it into a one arm embrace.

"I'll take really good care of him, May. That's a promise." Now it was his turn to present his gift. He pulled the hand with the rose in it out from behind his back. Staring down at it for a few minutes, he prepared himself for the small speech he had prepared for when he presented the flower.

"May, you are the best friend I've ever had. Before I came to Pewter City, I'd never experienced true friendship before, but now I have, and I wanna thank you for that." He smiled a solemn smile, still staring at the roses. "I want to give you this rose as a thanks, and so that you can remember the first time we met. I saved the flower from the funeral for you."

He gently placed the flower in her hand, hoping that the gesture meant something.

May stared at it for a moment before responding.

"It's really pretty, Drew. I'll make sure nothing ever happens to it. We can each show each other this flower and Torchic when we visit so that we know the other is keeping their promise." May brought up the visiting so that she would remember that he wasn't leaving forever. Drew remembered it too, and nodded with silent understanding.

The next thing May did surprised Drew. She turned around and handed the rose to Caroline. The fear of her not liking the flower struck him, but he realized he was being silly. She had said it was pretty, so she had to have liked it.

May stepped forward and hugged him. Drew didn't know what to do, so he hugged her back.

Both sets of parents smiled down at their children. Each one of them regretted having to break up such a tight friendship, especially Erik. His smile was a sad one, and he realized that he had never even met his son's friend, let alone seen how close a bond they shared. Maybe they wouldn't be moving if he had,

Drew and May resembled two little children in a painting. Some of the famous artists painted pictures of children to represent the bonds between human beings no matter what age, and the two of them matched the idea perfectly.

May stepped back first, and just looked at Drew. He simply stared back.

Each child felt like crying, but neither could. They had already cried, and they had reached the point where they simply couldn't cry any longer.

Max on the other hand had not yet cried, and he broke into a sudden series of sobs. Torrents of tears suddenly started running down his face, and he began making strange sobbing sounds. Caroline looked down at her son in surprise. How could he possibly know what was going on? He was only five years old.

She took him by the hand and gently led him back to the car, where she then buckled him into his booster seat and attempted to calm him down.

Whatever she said must have worked, for he instantly quieted. Caroline handed him some sort of gaming device and walked back over to where Norman was standing.

"He said that he didn't want his big sister to be sad." She whispered to her husband. May heard this, and smiled at her little brother's concern.

Drew's mother placed her hands on her son's shoulders, "It's time we get going." She said.

Drew nodded his head slowly, shifting his gaze around the front yard of his house. Pewter City had become his home, and leaving it was going to have some kind of further impact on him. He didn't know what yet, but it would happen.

"Well May, guess this is finally it."

"Yeah. Guess so. So, I'll be getting a letter soon, right?"

"Count on it." He said with a little laugh. His parents started moving towards the car that was parked on the street. Before they did, however, they shook hands with Caroline and Norman, saying a quick good-bye and thank you. Drew did the same with May.

"Thanks for everything. So, I'll see ya the next time I visit." Drew said. He still avoided actually saying good-bye.

"Yup. See ya!" She forced a smile. Drew headed off after his parents. Climbing into the back of the car, he looked out the window and waved. May waved back.

The car slowly pulled away, and May watched as her best friend left. She turned to her mother, took back the ivory rose, and made a vow.

"No matter where I go, and no matter what happens to me, Drew Hayden will always be my best friend." As the last few words left her lips, a light snow began to fall.

The snow and the clouds cast a gloomy feeling across the yard, and it was almost as if it were the first day that May and Drew had met.

Each days had been solemn in their own way, yet beautiful as well. The snow now replaced the rain, but there was still the element of promise. A promise between two friends that would last a life time.

* * *

And there you have it! My 3rd fanfic is now completed. I feel really accomplished and i just want to thank all of my readers and reviewers. You really help to keep me writing :) Reviews are always welcome!


	9. Epilogue

Dear May,

Mr. Snowman is melting. I built him in the front yard, and he was short and fat. But now he's melting. I went outside today and his face had fallen off. The only fun thing I did all winter is now a pile of mush.

My old house is boring, and I'm always bored here. There's nothing to do. I wish we could play again. Things were always fun when you were around. We sat in the rain at a funeral, and we watched tadpoles, and TV, and we even outsmarted our moms that one time. And we said bye in the snow. The snow is going away though. Oh! I am taking really good care of your Torchic. We have some fun times, but it's mostly all boring.

My mom tells me that we can visit soon, and I'm happy about that. We can go to the park, the ice cream shop, and we need to see if the tadpoles grew up or not. I really want to hold one. But my dad says they're too big to hold and said something about them turning into Poliwhirl. I know he's just joking though. I explained to him that they evolved from Poliwags, and tadpoles are quite different.

The large mahogany armoire got broken in the move, and my parents got really upset about it. But my mom says that it's okay because it didn't have a place in this house anyway. It belongs back in Pewter City.

Well, that's all I have to say for now. I miss you a lot! Write back!

Your friend,

Drew Hayden

* * *

a short epilogue. will it have something to do with the sequel? you can count on it!


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